The coming year will be spent on completion of the investigation of the structure and function of the amphibian ear, and the preparation of a final report in a book to be entitled "The Amphibian Ear" as a sequel to the volume recently published (December, 1978) on "The Reptile Ear" (Princeton University Press, 1024 pp.) Tests of auditory sensitivity in terms of inner ear potentials, with subsequent fixation of the head tissues for histological study, have been carried out on 177 specimens of salamanders belonging to 35 species, 353 frogs representing 82 species, and 9 caecilians of 4 species. The histological processing has been completed on most of these specimens, and is proceeding on the others. Study of this material, with intercomparisons of species, and also the correlation of structural features with the sensitivity data, is already under way. Particular attention is being given to the variations of structure, especially the differences that appear in the middle ear mechanism and in the amphibian papilla. The final report will include an evaluation of the position of the amphibians in respect to the evolution of the ear in the higher vertebrates.